Despite the rise in extremism, Canada maintains the level of terrorist threat to the medium

Canada is experiencing a “worrying increase” of extremism, but does not need to increase its level of terrorist threat, according to the SCRS.

Despite a series of attacking attacks and plots, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service said the threat level would remain “average”.

SCRS director Daniel Rogers approved the decision last Thursday, said a spokesperson for the intelligence agency in a statement to Global News.

“Even if the threat environment has evolved over the past decade and has increased in recent years, the threat of an attack carried out has not increased significantly,” said the SCRS.

The SCRS published its declaration in response to a History of global news on the increase in arrests for terrorism across Canada, many of which are linked to Isis.

In the past six months only, the RCMP has ended two attacks linked to IS, as well as bomb plots in Calgary And Ottawa in 2023.

Meanwhile, Jewish institutions were target With gunshots and incendiary bombs, and Canada noted open support for groups such as Hamas.

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THE National level of terrorist threat is used to determine the necessary responses to prevent attacks.

It is based on the recommendation of the Government Integrated Terrorism Evaluation Center (ITAC).

“There is no doubt that SCRS and ITAC notes a disturbing increase in the volume of speeches and ideological, political and religious extremist activities,” said the SCRS.

But he said that the government had “effectively managed the threats” and that those who planned violence had been “managed to thwart”.

Canadian authorities are also improving in the use of terrorism accusations and commitments not to disturb public order to prevent attacks, said SCRS spokesperson Lindsay Sloane.

“All of these gathered factors mean that the level of national threat of Canada remains average, which corresponds to the threat levels issued in the partner countries of the Five Eyes group. »»

Middle means that an attack “could occur” and “high” means that it is likely, while “critical” means very likely.

Canada has not changed its threat level for more than a decade and has not published an annual report Public report on threats Since 2018.

“In the past five years, Canada has also not known real terrorist attacks perpetrated by a person who is the subject of an active investigation,” said SCRS spokesperson.

But several attacks took place during this period.

In 2021, supporters of the Islamic State organized a filming In a Mississauga restaurant. A week later, a extremist struck a Muslim family with a truck in London, Ontario, killing four people.

The following year, two brothers fueled what the authorities called “antigan convictions”. shot down six police officers on the island of Vancouver.

A attacker Handed up a bus passenger in Surrey, British Columbia, in 2023, then called 911 to say that he had done so for IS.

A shooter Who had written a manifesto on everything, the quality of the water in Gaza, stormed the town hall of Edmonton in 2024.

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In a January 8 report, Insight Threat Intelligence, a company led by the former SCRSA analyst Jessica Davis, wrote that Canada had increased in terrorism arrests and that the threat had increased. “Rarely been higher.”

Sloane said the recent increase in terrorism accusations was “not strictly an indicator of a growing threat to Canada.”

Far-right groups are only treated as terrorist organizations, which means that they were not accurately represented in previous data, she explained.

Former SCRS officer Andrew Kirsch said that an average threat level seemed reasonable. At this level, terrorism “requires prioritization and continuous vigilance,” he said.

But while the government focuses on foreign interference and elections on the horizon, it asked: “Do they have the resources necessary to deal with all these highly priority threats? »»

The former SCRS analyst, Phil Gurski, said the threat level should be based on corroborated information on the number of extremists and their ability to plan and execute attacks.

He wondered if the SCRS minimized the threat posed by groups such as IS at the request of a government concerned with political optics, noting that France had raised its position of threat to the highest level the year last.

The level of threat of the United Kingdom is substantialWhich means that an attack is likely, while in Australia, it is likely And in New Zealand, it is weak.

The United States uses a National advisory system on terrorism which provides alerts for specific and credible threats. There is no opinion currently.

A FBI alert Last week, he warned of possible copying attacks after an Islamic state supporter struck pedestrians with a truck in New Years Day on New Year, killing 14 people.

Stewart.bell@globalnews.ca